![]() Still, 33 caps and a European Championship at 22 are extraordinary enough. “No, he is the strongest of all, the number one,” said Donnarumma when asked whether there could be any comparison. Buffon made a record-setting 176 appearances for Italy and won a World Cup. He is under no illusions about matching his idol. Gianluigi Donnarumma celebrates in front of Italy fans at Wembley. ![]() They even share a first name, though the younger man goes by “Gigio” instead of “Gigi”. Who could ever have imagined that Italy would find a worthy heir to Gianluigi Buffon this quickly? Donnarumma used to keep posters of his predecessor up on the walls of his bedroom as a kid growing up in Pompeii. It was Donnarumma who launched the attack that led to Italy’s goal against Spain, getting the ball quickly to Marco Verratti while their opponents were out of position. ![]() And we have not yet talked about his distribution. His efforts against Spain and England must at least have equalled it. The former Italy goalkeeper Walter Zenga defined his full-length dive to deny Belgium’s Kevin De Bruyne as “a perfect display of technique”.Īt the time, Donnarumma believed it was the most important save of his career. He made a string of spectacular saves throughout Euro 2020, from the double stop against Switzerland’s Steven Zuber in the group stage to a point-blank block from Spain’s Dani Olmo in the semi-final. Not that keeping out spot-kicks is the sum of Donnarumma’s contribution. These were the fourth and fifth penalty shootouts that he had taken part in so far in his senior career, and he has won every single one of them. Five nights earlier, in the same goal at Wembley, Donnarumma denied Álvaro Morata to put Italy on course for the final. ![]() Donnarumma did not even celebrate at first, walking away with the nonchalant swagger of a man who had been here and done this before. Minutes later, he was named as Uefa’s player of the tournament.Īs questions were being asked in England about the wisdom of allowing a 19-year-old to take a penalty in a final, Italy was marvelling at the 22-year-old who denied him. How could he say no? It was Donnarumma who had sealed Italy’s triumph on Sunday, saving consecutive penalties from Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka in the deciding shootout. ![]()
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